In his new book “Hidden Potential“, Adam Grant shares some advice on how to reach our potential. He believes “the most meaningful form of performance is progress. The ultimate mark of potential is not the height of the peak you’ve reached, but the distance you traveled–and helped others travel.”
If our focus is on progress and the distance traveled, it’s important to stay motivated, especially when things get tough. Adam Grant provides guidance on staying motivated:
“Engage in mental time travel.” Track your progress and consider how your past self would view your current achievements.
“Turn the daily grind into a source of daily joy.” Be creative and design practice around deliberate play. Set up fun skill-building challenges and introduce novelty and variety into practice.
“Be proactive about rest and recovery.”
When stuck, try a different path, seek out multiple guides, try a side project or hobby to maintain forward momentum and a credible source that helps point to the right direction.
One takeaway is that hard work alone is not enough. Continuous progress demands a degree of conscientiousness, creativity, and a willingness to experiment.
Below are some other advice he provides on learning:
Try new ways to learn.
Practice your skills before you feel ready.
Seek discomfort.
Set a mistake budget.
Listen to coaches who have relevant expertise, know you well, and want what’s best for you.
Strive for excellence, not perfection. Practice wabi sabi, the art of honoring beauty in imperfection, by identifying some shortcomings that you can accept. Consider where you truly need the best and where you can settle for good enough.
Be your own last judge.
Compete against yourself.
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